I am livin’ the dream tucked away for a few hours in Paonia, Colorado, a town of 1,425 in a place called The Diner on Grand Street.

A lovely diner with rustic booths, framed pictures of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne on the walls and Kenny Rogers singing strummin’ tunes from the jukebox. All this Texas-born girl wanted to say was Yeeehaweeee!

Life was just about perfect for these 24 hours my daughter and I spent there. Stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast called Fresh and Wyld. And although the bed and breakfast had Internet, my cell wouldn’t work there or anywhere in the town. Was it the valley? The mountains?

Someone politely said, “Verizon doesn’t work here.” I wondered immediately if that meant that all cells didn’t work or was this a turf war area. From experience, Verizon works everywhere. If it worked in the small villages all over South Africa, it should work here. Oh, well.

We stayed at the two story blue house converted into five bedroom bed and breakfast. And the breakfast cooked by a tall muscular young man named Jacob created a breakfast to die for.

Of course, a variety of guests were a plus with intelligent conversation from visitors from Britain, helping us keep boredom at bay. It was quiet, no radio or television. Also, no drama. No news. No wondering about anything – except one thing. For me, an insomniac, walking lightly around on the second floor to hopefully not disturb others.

Checking out, note cards caught my attention lying on a table near the check out desk. The top one grabbed me. Created by a friend of the woman who checked us out.

I almost changed my mind about taking this trip. But it was my daughter who wanted this trip. And I wanted to be with her. Besides, we were going to visit friends, then stretch it a bit considering our time constraints and travel to the Arches National Park. Never been there. Always heard about it. But, it’s desert there. It’s HOT there. I don’t own lightweight clothes. My thinking is I’ll be in air conditioning or I’ll wait until winter.

So to say I was worried about the heat was an understatement. (Don’t tell my daughter.)

And then, like a giant wish descended upon us, the weather changed drastically from hot to cool and rainy and delicious. What if I’d stayed home?

Anyway, how does any of this pertain to writing? Wait for it — wait for it — Here’s how.

Going to a dream place to write is like an A+. You know you have conjured up one in your mind — a tiny cottage, a tiny room somewhere near a beach or in the mountains to get away and write up a storm. Well, do it!

Find inspiration and pass it on to someone else like the woman who took out time to make the cards. Of course she’s trying to sell them ($3 each) but it’s her vehicle to pass on inspiration nevertheless.

Finally, don’t think so damn negatively. I can’t believe I was so concerned about the heat that I nearly missed this beautiful trip I’m in the process of making to the Arches National Park in Utah!